All Fired Up
by LanieSullivan
Summary: Response to the "no romance" Valentine's Day prompt from the Facebook fanfiction group. Set during season 3. One-shot.


Disclaimer: "Scarecrow and Mrs. King" is copyrighted to Warner Brothers and Shoot the Moon Productions. The plot is mine, but not the characters. This story is meant for enjoyment purposes only. No infringement is intended.

**AN: **This is my response to the Valentine's Day "no romance" challenge, set between The Triumvirate and "The Eyes Have It."

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Amanda was in her mother's room helping her pick out an outfit for her Valentine's date, listening to her gush about Hunter Conrad for what seemed like forever. "He must be something pretty special if you're trying to plan this early," she said with just a hint of sarcasm in her voice as she pointed to her watch to indicate it was only three. "I mean, you've only got four hours before he picks you up."

Dotty rolled her eyes and retorted, "Well, maybe if _you_ had a date…or at least someone in your life who could become a date…"

Amanda bristled at the comment, but couldn't deny that it was true. She was feeling this way because she'd assumed she _would_ have plans for Valentine's Day for a change. After all, just a couple days ago she and Lee had had a great time at her reunion. He'd actually used the word "couple" to describe them. He'd even gone as far as telling her classmates that he was her boyfriend when they asked her about her handsome companion. She had thought that was a great improvement over the way things had gone since he'd backed off a little following Joe's return to the country, but now Lee himself was out of the country and once again with no notice, no explanation and not even so much as a phone call to let her know he'd be gone. Or at least she assumed he was out of the country since she wasn't aware of any pending cases he was working on anywhere nearby.

"You're right, Mother," she conceded as she let out a miserable sigh. "Even my twelve-year-old son has a date and I don't." Make no mistake, she was tickled pink that after months of talking endlessly on the phone, Phillip had finally summoned up the nerve to ask Linda Montez to the middle school's Valentine's Day mixer, but it just made her own situation seem worse. If a child could work up the courage to tell a girl how he felt about her, why couldn't a grown man like Lee? She was sure he felt something for her, so why couldn't he just say so instead of running away every time they started to get closer?

"You know, you could always join Joe in his chaperoning duties," Dotty suggested with a sly smile. "Maybe there's a reason he came back into your life right before Valentine's Day. He has been coming around an awful lot lately."

Amanda knew the smile all too well. Her mother had been dropping subtle hints for the past two months that things could or maybe even should go back to the way they once were. She shook her head. "Mother, really, how many times to I have to tell you, he's not back in _my_ life; he's back in the boys' lives."

"Well, you don't seem to be objecting at all the time he's been spending here recently."

"He's the father of my children. Of course I don't object to him coming to see them, but that's all there is to it. As for anything else...well, that ship has sailed."

It was Dotty's turn to sigh. "I know," she nodded. "To Japan…and Haiti…and Estoccia…and wherever else he's been traipsing off to instead of being with his family."

"That's exactly why I'm not complaining about him coming around so much and I'm absolutely NOT butting in on his chaperoning duties. This is a big deal for him because he's never really been all that involved with Phillip and Jamie's school activities. I think it will do all of them some good. I mean, did you see him talk Jamie into going even when he didn't want to?"

"You do know that Jamie only went in the hopes of seeing Phillip blow it with Linda so he can mock him, right?" Dotty chuckled.

"Of course I know that, but Jamie has friends of his own who'll be there too and I think it'll be good for him to get out. He's not nearly the social butterfly that his brother is and whatever the reason he's going, I'm happy to see that he won't be holed up in his room all night with a book."

Dotty scrutinized her daughter for a moment, a slightly bemused look on her face, "This, coming from a woman with a Lit degree?"

"Oh, come on, Mother, you know I still love books and I love that Jamie loves them as much as I do, but I don't want that to be all he does. It's not healthy to bury yourself in books just to shut yourself off from the outside world."

"Isn't that what you're planning on doing tonight?" her mother fired back.

"No!" she replied indignantly, though that was exactly what she'd planned to do. "I may not have a date, but I'm not a loner." She winced slightly at her own use of that word, remembering the day that Lee had used it to describe himself. She quickly regained her composure and plunged on. "I _do_ have friends, you know." The truth was, her friendships were mostly shallow ones at best, the ladies in the PTA, the neighbors. Sure, they might help each other out once in awhile, but they weren't the kind of friends you could call on a whim to just hang out.

"Okay, when was the last time you did anything with any of them?"

"I-I-I-" she sputtered trying to come up with something, anything that would get her mother off her back, but other than Lee, she couldn't think of a single person she'd want to just hang out with outside of her family. Sure, she'd started to edge closer to being real friends with Francine now that the blonde agent no longer saw her as a threat, but-

"A-ha! Just as I thought," Dotty crowed triumphantly.

"Francine!" Amanda blurted out the name of the last person who'd crossed her mind. "Francine Desmond, I work with her. You met her once, remember? She…um…she was one of my pet clients and she's the one who actually helped me get the job at IFF. I'm sure I told you…" She knew she hadn't; she'd just made up a story about using her photography experience to get the job, but a little embellishment couldn't hurt when she hadn't ever told her mother how she'd heard about the job in the first place.

"No, I'm sure you didn't, but either way, it's nice that you've made a friend at work, so what are your plans?" she probed.

"Nothing special, just a good old-fashioned girls' night, maybe a drink or two. She's not up to a whole lot right now since she's still recovering from a work-related injury, so I thought it would be nice since we're both alone for Valentine's Day." She was really in deep now and she knew it, but just because she'd told her mother she was spending the evening with Francine, that didn't mean she actually had to do it. She could just go see a movie or something.

"Oh, well that's nice. You know, I always said you had one of the most generous hearts of anyone I know. I'm sure your friend will appreciate the visit."

"I'm sure she will," Amanda put on her best smile, but as her mother turned back to her closet, she quickly frowned at herself, feeling tremendously guilty for her lies. _It doesn't have to be a lie,_ a tiny voice in her head sounded. At that thought, she decided Francine probably could use a friend since she was on crutches after taking a bullet for her. More guilty feelings crashed over her as her brain added, _for me. She took a bullet for me. _"On that note, Mother, I need to go back into the office for a couple of hours because I promised I'd help get some of her work caught up, but I'll be back in time to help you finish getting ready and to see the boys off." It wasn't a complete lie because, with Lee gone, there really was work that needed catching up; she just wasn't planning on doing it yet. But she didn't want her mother knowing she'd just made up plans on the spur of the moment, and who knows? Maybe it would actually be fun.

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That evening, after Joe had picked up the boys and her mother was off on her date, she stood outside Francine's door laden with shopping bags. Shifting her bundles to one arm, she knocked firmly on the door.

"Just a second," Francine called as she pulled herself up on her crutches, reached for her wallet and hobbled to the door. "How much was it again?" she questioned without looking up as she fumbled for cash while trying to keep herself upright.

"Francine, it's me," Amanda informed her. "Here, let me help you." And without being invited, she scooted past her friend, set the bags down and returned to the door with the intention of offering assistance to the injured agent.

"I don't need help, Amanda. I'm a big girl. I can do it all by myself." Despite her protests, Amanda could see Francine was still in pain.

"Let me at least do this then." She closed the door. "And take that so you have both hands free."

"Yeah," Francine conceded as she handed off her wallet and hobbled back to the sofa. "What's all this?" She gestured to the bags Amanda had set on the coffee table.

"Comfort food," Amanda answered with a smile. "I knew you were alone for Valentine's Day, so I…" Her voice trailed off and she flushed slightly as she noticed Francine scrutinizing her with a look she couldn't quite decipher.

"Oh! I…um…I just ordered pizza," Francine replied apologetically, touched by Amanda's sweet gesture.

"Oh, it's not that kind of comfort food," she explained as she began pulling items out one by one. "It's…um…ice cream – mint chocolate chip is your favorite, right? – umm…I bought a bottle of wine, but then I thought if you were on any painkillers that might not be such a good idea, so I also got a bottle of sparking grape juice…oh, and…I went to the Godiva store and got you this…you know, to cheer you up."

"Amanda!" She beamed at the hand-picked assortment of Belgian chocolates. "You shouldn't have! This must have cost you a fortune!"

"Oh, it wasn't that much really. Besides, if I had a date tonight, I'd have probably spent way more than that on a dress and getting my hair done and new shoes and-"

Francine frowned and dropped the chocolates onto the table like a hot potato. "So that's what this is about," she grumbled. "I already told you today at the office. I don't know why Lee left so suddenly or where he went."

"I came here for you!" Amanda stated adamantly. "Why would you think this was at all about Lee?"

"Well, I know he took you to your reunion," Francine replied. "Who do you think suggested that he be your date?" she added when Amanda's eyes widened in surprise.

"You?" she sat down beside her. "Why would you do that?"

"Lee came to see me in the hospital after I was shot to thank me for saving you and I suggested that if he really wanted to thank me, he should make sure you had a good time at your reunion since you were so nervous about going."

"Ohhh," she let out a sigh of disappointment. "So, that's why he-" She broke of abruptly, thinking Francine probably shouldn't know that he'd called himself her boyfriend in front of her school friends.

"Why he what?"

Amanda shook her head and rose hurriedly. "You know, I should really get the ice cream in the freezer before it melts."

"Forget the freezer," Francine commanded. "Just get a couple of spoons…" She paused as she held up the wine bottle, "And a couple of glasses and a corkscrew."

"But aren't you on pain meds?"

"Nope. I took one the day I got home from the hospital and I didn't like the way it made me feel all loopy, so I quit taking them."

"No wonder you're in so much pain," Amanda cried sympathetically as she returned with the required items.

"Maybe this will ease it a little," Francine grinned at the wine just as there was another knock on the door. "The pizza."

"I'll get it," Amanda hurried to the door with her purse before Francine could protest, quickly paid for it and returned to the sofa with it and found Francine had already poured the wine for them.

"You didn't have to pay for the pizza too," Francine admonished her. "You've already done enough."

"Why shouldn't I? I mean, you didn't ask for me to come here. I initiated this and I brought you wine and chocolates, so I figure that sort of makes me like your Valentine's date, which means I should pay."

The blonde laughed. "You know, I never can argue with your logic." She held up her glass. "Cheers."

"Cheers," Amanda replied in kind.

As they began to dig into the pizza and sipped at their wine, Francine asked, "So, why did you really come here if it wasn't to ask about Lee?"

"I just…I don't know…I thought you could use a friend and I know I sure could."

"Do you wanna' talk about it?"

"About what?"

"Whatever's bugging you and don't say it's nothing, because I can see it all over your face."

As they plowed through the wine, the pizza and the ice cream, Amanda laid out the whole story from Lee being all cuddly as her date to her mother pushing her ex on her to being dateless because of Lee taking off and finished with, "Do you know how bad it feels to know that your child has a date when you don't?"

"Well, no because I don't have children, but I do know how it feels to have a date and be dumped just because you're injured." She nodded to her propped-up leg. "So, Lee really told your friends he was your boyfriend?"

Amanda nodded. "Yep, then took off the very next day without a word."

"Damn, I'm sorry. I should never have urged him to take you. I thought he'd be a gentleman instead of a jackass because it was you."

"Oh, he was a gentleman the whole night. The…um…jack-"

"You can say the word, Amanda. I won't tell anyone that you let a little profanity slip," Francine teased.

Amanda couldn't help laughing. "Okay, okay. We had such a great time together, then Lee, the jackass reared his ugly head the next day."

"I'm really sorry. I thought if anyone could get him to calm down a bit and stop running, it would be you. If you ever tell anyone this, I'll deny it, but you've been a good influence on him."

"Pfft." She scoffed. "Yeah, so good he had to leave the country to get away from my influence."

"He'll come around," Francine attempted to console Amanda, but she wasn't sure she really believed it.

Amanda caught Francine's doubtful look and nodded. "I wish I knew if that were true. I just wanna slap him when he does this kind of stuff."

"Or shoot him," Francine suggested, knowing all too well how that felt. "If he doesn't come around I say that's exactly what you should do, shoot him just enough to wound him like he wounded you, but then again with your aim, you might blow off a vital body part."

"Hey, that gives me an idea! Do you wanna' get out of the house for awhile? I mean, if you're not hurting too much."

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

Amanda nodded. "Come on, I'll help you up." She reached for Francine's hand, but between standing up so fast, Francine's bad leg and the bottle of wine they'd shared, they soon toppled onto the floor. Amanda burst out into a fit of giggles and despite her pain, Francine soon followed.

Amanda untangled herself from her friend, helped her up and then suggested, "Maybe a little coffee first to counter the effects of the wine?"

An hour and a half later, the two not-quite as-tipsy ladies were loading their weapons at the Agency's firing range. "You know, this was a great idea," Francine commented as she affixed a paper to the target.

"What's that?" Amanda asked curiously.

"Oh, well I know you didn't want to bring a picture of Lee to shoot at, but I'm at least going to do the next best thing for myself and since I hadn't been dating Doug long enough to have a picture of him, I tore the page with his number out of my address book."

"Good thinking." She glanced sideways and noticed Francine teetering a bit on her crutches. "Are you sure you're up to this though?"

Francine tossed her crutches aside, hopped on one foot to her mark and fired a perfect center-of-mass shot. "Absolutely."

"Good."

"I do probably need the practice though," she admitted. "One perfect shot doesn't mean they all will be and as soon as I'm rid of those things, I have to re-qualify to prove I'm fit for field duty again…not that I see much field action these days…but still…"

"I'm sorry that you have to go through that."

"It's not your fault, Amanda. These things happen."

"It is though," Amanda argued. "You got shot protecting me. Maybe if I were better at this..." She held up the pistol in her hand. "…I wouldn't need protection."

"First of all, it's not your fault some psycho tried to kill you, nor is it your fault that you started learning to shoot later in life than I did. Second, being on guard duty for you and getting shot at is the most action I've seen in a long time."

"Not true. Remember when we were locked in the freezer?"

"Okay, but still there was no real action there, no gunfire or hand-to-hand, no real excitement." She limped over to Amanda. "As for this…" She nodded to the gun Amanda held. "I can help."

"I think I'm beyond help," Amanda moaned pitifully.

"No, you're not. You just lack confidence. What I think would help right now is doing just what we talked about." She pointed to the target. "Just picture Lee's face out there. Remember how mad at him you are?" When Amanda nodded, she continued, "Good. Now, aim right for that lying mouth or those piercing eyes that make you believe every lie…and go!"

BANG! Amanda fired and while, her shot didn't land quite where she aimed, it still at least hit her target right where imaginary Lee's chin would be as the bullet had just grazed the bottom of the headshot.

"Not bad, but come on, Amanda. You're more pissed at him than that…aren't you?"

Amanda giggled and replied, "Damn right I am!" She was tired of him acting like he was interested, then blowing her off again as if nothing had ever happened.

"Then shoot the son of a bitch right between the eyes!" Francine goaded her.

After a couple more tries, Amanda finally nailed a perfect headshot on her third attempt. "I did it!" She squeaked excitedly. "And at fifty feet too! That's farther than I've ever hit anything accurately before."

"Wanna' try for seventy-five?"

Amanda nodded eagerly and then turned to Francine, "Thanks."

"For what?"

"I know this was unplanned, but thanks for being my Valentine's date at the last minute."

"Well, it's not like you gave me a choice. I swear you're pushier than any man I've ever known." She jested.

"No, you had a choice. You could've slammed the door in my face."

"On this leg? Not a chance! But really, I'm the one who should be thanking you. I was in for a long, lonely night with my TV and you made sure that didn't happen. So, thank you for being _my_ Valentine's date. Now, what do you say we wipe out the scumbags who left us alone?" She gestured back to the targets.

"You got it."

"See? Who needs a man on Valentine's Day?"

"Not us," Amanda nodded firmly as she aimed her first shot at the seventy-five foot mark and missed wildly. She shrugged and took aim again, not even caring if she hit her target. It just felt good to do something other than moping. She glanced over to Francine where she'd returned to her mark and called, "Happy Valentine's Day, Francine."

"Happy Valentine's Day, Amanda."


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